DIY Equipment

The other day I stumbled over some ‘Do It Yourself equipment’ pages on the ‘net. The idea was intriguing: Create your own gear, add the features you want, leave out what you don’t need.

Specifically, I liked the idea of a bag that is attached inside a bike’s frame triangle. For the upcoming Balkan trip I decided to make one. The result wasn’t entirely satisfying, so I made a much improved version 2.

The improved frame bag (incl. the tent compression bags) went with me on the Balkans trip and to Bangladesh/India/Nepal and performed very well. A couple of minor things were not perfect, like the sewn-in velcro straps which need to be ‘shaved’ around the seam to fill up less and be more water-tight. Also the pocket openings, especially the one of the map pocket, were a bit tight when the bag was fully loaded and one wanted to take out/put in a map. So there is room for improvements for version 3, if I ever make one.
Side winds were not a problem and the width of the bag between my knees was just right (i.e. I didn’t touch it under normal cycling conditions).

Inspired by the DIY idea I decided to build my own kayak. I attended a course in Norway where I built a traditional iqyax (also known as baidarka).

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